Company Officer's Handbook Of The German Army - All Gauge Page

72 COMPANY OFFICER'S HANDBOOK
Regrouping will proceed in the following manner:
1st Company, 903, will be sent forward by Division to Combat Team Ohring
by midday 16 July. When it arrives, the company of Oria already under command
2 will be sent off (on 16 July) to Combat Team Hahm. When this company
arrives at Combat Team Hahm, Combat Teams Fiihrmann and Hartmann
will be dissolved. The company of 923d still with Combat Team Hahm will be
sent off to Combat Team Ohrir'g. Machine-gun company of Oria Battalion
will be sent up to Combat Team Hahm by Division. This regrouping must be
accelerated so that the units may be collected under their commanding officers
as formed bodies as soon as possible.
Ilermann GCiring Panzer Engineer Battalion will be released by Combat Team
Ohring and collected as division reserve in the area Adrtno-Centuripe. Assembly
must be completed by early 17 July. The commanding officer of the panzer engineer
battalion will act as engineer officer of the division from 17 July.
One battery of the antiarcraft battalion designated for special employment will
be put under command of each of the Combat Teams Ohring, Hahm, and Rebholz
to assist in ground and antiaircraft defense in the forward area, and for antiaircraft
defense of the tanks. Their employment as antiaircaft on rear communications
is forbidden.
The composition of the combat teams shown in figure 59
began to take shape before 19 July. It was on this date that Headquarters,
Hermann Goring Tank Regiment, formed Combat Team
Preuss, which consisted of a grouping of Combat Teams Kluge and
Rebholz under one commander (see fig. 59). An order dated 19
July indicated that the 1st Battalion, Hermann G6ring Tank Regiment,
was already in division reserve; the Hermann Goring
Panzer Engineer Battalion, which had been in division reserve, was
assigned to occupy a strongpoint. The 1st Battalion of the 1st
Panzer Grenadier Regiment, which appears in Combat Team Hahm
in figure 58, did not appear in the chart prepared on 21 July (fig.
59). An explanation of this and other changes is contained in the
following excerpt from an order dated 20 July:
To restore coherency among the units, the following changes will be carried out:
1st Battalion, 1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment, will be dissolved, and personnel,
weapons, equipment, and motor transport will be taken over by 1st Battalion, 2d
Panzer Grenadier Regiment. In the same way regimental headquarters, 2d Panzer
Grenadier Regiment, will be taken over by 1st Battalion, 2d PanzeT Grenadier
Regiment. 2d Battalion, 9Zd Panzer Grenadier Regiment, will be dissolved and in-
2 That is, under command of Ohring.